London System

Hey, I've started using the london system but can find any continuations or variations for it. Anyone have any suggestions on how to play it?

There is a great book called "Win With the London System" by Johnsen & Kovacevic.

Also a DVD from "Foxy Openings" called "The London System 1.d4 2.Bf4.

Both are excellent if you can see your way to getting them.

Just a few days back I annotated a game where the White player was USCF 1600 and used the repertoire from Win With the London System against a USCF 1700.

  Generally, these moves can be played in this order
against ANYTHING Black plays. The moves follow
the rules of - develop towards the 4 center squares,
castle early and finish your development.

Its a solid opening and easy to learn if your short of time and don't wish to learn how to play against different defences then this is worth trying but if your playing the same opening moves everytime you play with white you might get bored eventually. 

I started playing the London on ICC after reading the Johnsen & Kovacevic book.  I disagree with otbplayer's observation that what black plays doesn't matter.  White's move-order against specific responses is very important.  In fact, I would argue that 2. Nf3 isn't the most exact move order to arrive at a decent London, but rather 2. Bf4 (as mentioned by Johnsen & Kovacevic) because of the following line: 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. Bf4 c5 and already black has placed white in awkward situation.  If white continues with 4. e3 then black plays 4...Qb6 and white has to prove he's going to get something for sacrificing the b2 pawn (or protect it in uncomfortable way like 5. Qc1 or 5. b3.  If white continues with 4. c3 then black plays 4...cd 5. cd and white has captured in a way he didn't want to (normally white tries to capture on d4 with ed, using the e-file after castling for his f1 rook.

If instead, white played 1. d4 Nf6 2. Bf4, then on 2...e6 3. e3 c5 4. c3 Qb6 (4...cd 5 ed!) 5. Qb3! where if black exchanges queens, white gets the open a-file.  When the a-file is opened like this, white frequently attacks black's position by moving the pawn to b4, b5 and, if allowed b6.  He can also play ideas Na3-b5 (LOL, regardless of whether black has played ...a6 or not, since the black's a-pawn is pinned). 

Also, otbplayer mentoned Be2 for white.  This would generally most come into play when black has fianchettoed, heading to a King's Indian or Gruenfeld formation.  Other than that, it belongs on d3, the reason being the bishop is able to strike down to h7.  With a pawn on g6, it's better to have that bishop supporting an eventual h4-h5 (as is the case against the Gruenfeld, where white would also play Ne5) or with an eye to both offense and defense in the King's Indian formation.  Against the King's Indian (where black strives for ...e5) having the bishop on d3 would too easily make it a target of a pawn fork (black moving his pawn from e5 to e4).  With the Bishop on e2, if black pushes e5-e4, white just moves his f3-knight to d2 or e1.

    One other important (very important!) idea for white is to be able to get in a timely h3, particularly in the King's Indian lines.  The idea is that the bishop needs  a retreat (in the event of moves like ...Nh5 or ...e5 and the h2 square is perfect.  After black accomplishes his e5-e4 move, the bishop's diagonal is restored, cutting all the way down (usually) to b8.

    Also, with respect to otbplayer's observation that it can get boring, there is some truth to that, but there are ways to play with some difference.  For instance, when black plays ...e6,...d5, and ...Bd6 white can have as many as three options about what to do with the bishop on f4.  He can, 1) retreat it to g3, allowing black to take on g3 if they want, opening the h-file; 2) ignore it, since typically the bishop is already supported by a pawn on e3, so after ...Bxf4 white replies ef (using the e-file for the rook and the e5 square for a knight) and also 3) support it with g3, allowing black to take on f4 and replying gf, opening the g-file -- great if white's castling q-side is still an option.  Against most treatments, white has his choice of counters, although there are objective "bests" in response to black's ideas.  

A couple of weekends ago I won a nice London against Dalton Perrine (2031) in a USCF tourney, e.g.

I've recently added London System into my repretoire for white and I like it a lot. I've not put it into practice against good opposition yet, but I have good results with it against relatively weak computer oppostion. I need to read up on it a bit more aswell and put it into practice with stronger opposition. I think there is a chessbase DVD by Nigel Davies on the London System. I sometimes play the Tramposky (2. Bg5) if black reponds with 1. Nf6. Not totally comfortable with the Benoi Defense yet. Here is a nice game I played against my computer last month.